


A quiet echo

by Soggychan



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, This is literally just the plot of hoshi no koe but with Chika and Yoshiko, hoshi no koe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25702984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soggychan/pseuds/Soggychan
Summary: When Yoshiko leaves to fight a battle she never asked for, all Chika has to go by are her messages.But the farther Yoshiko gets, the quieter her voice becomes.
Relationships: Takami Chika/Tsushima Yoshiko
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	A quiet echo

**Author's Note:**

> This is really just the plot of Hoshi no Koe with love live characters and some added scenes and whatnot. But if this gets people to watch the original OVA, then I think that might be a good thing. Just make sure you watch the version with real voice actors. Anyways, enjoy a plot that isn't really mine!
> 
> On that note, any scientific facts that don't make sense aren't my fault, thanks.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my streams and internet browsing, it’s that the world is a tiny place. It’s easy to think of it as massive, but when you can talk to people on the other side of the world whenever you want, your view of the world suddenly shrinks. Cellphones and the internet are amazing, right? I use them enough, I should know.

My thumb hovers over the ‘send’ button while my eyes linger on the ‘no signal’ text displayed on screen. I let my eyes move up and stare outside the train window just as it exits the tunnel, returning us from the stone age to the modern age. A smile creeps onto my lips as I send the text to Chika, but it doesn’t linger. I guess… I’ll have to tell them soon.

“It has been three years since Earth was attacked by those we now call the ‘Atrusians.’ Though we believed the defense of Earth was successful, concerns have recently come about as a result of Atrusian scouts in the solar system. Because of this, the United Nations has decided to go forward with Project Delta, a long-term space mission that has recruited many promising individuals from around the world to fight back against the Atrusian threat by taking the battle to them. The mission will…”

An old man on the other side of the train has his radio playing, but I drown it out, almost laughing to myself. To think these mortals do nothing but listen to tales of future heroics, wishing they themselves could experience it. Or perhaps reveling in relief knowing they can continue their comfy lives. Pitiful. For one such as myself, chosen by those above to… Stop it, Yoshiko. Who are you trying to impress? You’re alone. And soon… you really will be.

A while passes before I finally hear the train slowing as it pulls into the station. Finally. Back in Numazu. When I’m back in my apartment, I quickly greet my mother who gives me a conflicted smile before I shut the door to my room and whip out my phone. Chika replied sometime on my walk here. A simple positive response to my arrival home safely. I feel another smile, but it’s accompanied by a stinging in my chest. Chika should be the first one I tell. My hands hesitate over my phone. This probably isn’t something I should say through text. I need to see her. School. Tomorrow.

With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I tell her I’ll see her tomorrow and opt to drift off to sleep instead.

-

-

The school day passes without incident. A boring, typical day, but with the thought of telling Chika hanging above me all day, it passes far too fast for my liking. Idol practice is coming up, on the roof like always. I walk with Hanamaru and Ruby, just like always. Right. Just like always. Something stings in my chest again and I clench my hand into a fist as I try to fight back the feeling. Unfortunately, the feeling is… familiar. The urge to…

“Eh!?” I almost jump out my skin when Hanamaru suddenly grabs my hand. We’re standing just outside the rooftop entrance but she’s giving me a serious look, one that definitely doesn’t suit her but… one that says, ‘I know.’ “Zuramaru, I…” I bite my lip, doing my best to keep my comment back. I want to tell Chika first but… it’s like she knows what I’m holding back already.

“Yoshiko-chan…” Ruby grabs my other hand and I expect to see pleading eyes, begging for me to reveal what I’m keeping away, but no. A small smile rests on her lips and she nods. “If you aren’t ready to tell us, it’s okay. But… If you need to talk…” Her shy smile can melt my heart, curse her cuteness, and instills a guilt I try to shove out but fail to.

“That’s right, zura.”

I let out a long sigh and with it all those conflicted feelings. “Thank you.” Despite me, I know I’m smiling. Hiding things from these two… just doesn’t feel right. So, I spill it to them. It all comes out in a rushed, hushed voice just on the off chance anybody is listening. And it goes about how I expected beforehand. Crying. A lot. Mostly from Ruby. I can’t blame her. I’m sure if one of these two… “I’m sorry. I just found out and… I didn’t really know how to say it.”

Hanamaru somehow recovers quickly enough to fit a smug look on. “Yoshiko-chan just wanted to tell Chika first, zura.”

“Z-Zuramaru!” Well, she’s not wrong, but why does she need to know that?

The smile quickly turns into the kind one she often shows us. “You do like her, right? You’ve almost admitted that to us.” I try to think up a witty retort but just end up sighing and nodding.

“So what? Does it even matter? Now I… Even if I tell her, nothing will come of it. Even if she returns my feelings, would it be fair to tell her now?”

“Maybe. Or maybe not.” She shrugs as if it doesn’t matter. “Love isn’t always fair, zura. If you never get the chance to tell her, won’t you regret it?”

That much may be true. Hell, even if she rejects me, maybe it’ll make all this a lot easier. But… I can’t. I won’t. Whether it’s fair or not, I won’t take that risk. On the off chance she accepts my feelings, then It’ll basically be like spitting in her face when I tell her I’m leaving. I take a long deep breath and nod to them, truly the two best friends I could have asked for.

“I’ll think about it. For now, let’s go out there.”

-

-

I almost wonder if Chika’s noticed my feelings already. Without me admitting my feelings, Hanamaru gave me the advice to just ‘talk to her more.’ Simple advice, really, but it worked, I guess. Chika was more than happy to entertain me at all hours of the night and day through text. But the harder I fell, the more difficult it became to confess. Chika is… someone amazing, someone so bright she forces a creature of the dark like me to look away. One day I’m sure I’ll just burst into a pile of ashes in front of her.

… Anyways. There’s no way she hasn’t noticed, right? Before I noticed, I started texting her all the time, hell even during class if I’m bored. But Chika never says it bothers her. Even if it’s in the middle of the night just because I can’t sleep, she somehow wakes up to respond to my texts. By now, she’s definitely noticed. So, I should be able to tell her. But…

-

-

Practice passes with nothing of note occurring. The girls are clearing out and I look over to Hanamaru who is very conspicuously gesturing towards Chika. Luckily Chika is wrapped up in a conversation with the other second years. My heart plummets into my stomach. Hanamaru isn’t about to let me go without at least speaking to her, even if it’s not the confession but just… I find myself approaching the group of three, butterflies raging in my stomach the entire way.

How will Chika react? Will she beg me to stay? Will she just wish me good luck? Will she cry? Will… I bite my lip, the anticipation of this conversation becoming too much for my weak heart.

“You wanna grab some ice cream on the way home?” I hear Yo question as I near them. “It’s never too cold for ice cream, you know!”

Chika laughs and nods. “After such a sweaty practice, I think anything cold would make me feel better. What about you, Riko-chan?”

“I think ice cream sounds pretty great right now. It will help cool us down before we can take showers at home.”

Now in agreement, the three grab their bags and start for the door the third years just left through. Panic fills my stomach and I don’t need to look back at Ruby and Hanamaru to know they’re pointing at her like crazy. Once. Just this once, I throw my fear to the wind, the fear of rejection, the fear of losing a friend, whatever rational and irrational fears may have built up around this situation. I rush forward, trying to call out, but nothing comes. Instead, I just end up grabbing Chika’s sleeve, making her and the other two stop.

Chika gives me a big smile and my heart all but stops. “What is it, Yoshiko-chan? Do you want some ice cream too?”

“Eh? Uh, I…” Damn, I want to look back to the other two for support, but I don’t. This is my battle to fight and it’s better taken sooner rather than later. “I, um. D-Do…” I’m stumbling over my words, I’m sure everybody can’t help but internally laugh at me, but I push past those feelings, throwing up my head to meet Chika’s curious crimson eyes. “I-I want to talk to you.” I pause, giving something of an apologetic nod to Riko and Yo. “Privately.”

I almost expect her to outright reject the idea, but she turns to the other two and shrugs. “Sorry guys, but can you go without me this time?”

Riko immediately starts nodding and I have the uncomfortable feeling she, if anybody, knows about my feelings. “That’s fine. We’ll go ahead then, Chika-chan.” Before Yo can even voice her agreement, Riko drags her through the door.

Seeing I’ve at least grasped something of an opportunity, Hanamaru hurries along Ruby to leave as well, giving a wave to us as they exit. And then it’s just us. My heart rate skyrockets but I finally let go of her shirt, feeling more than a little sheepish for holding on so long in the first place. A long silence follows, but it somehow feels comfortable. Chika doesn’t look in any rush to leave and just gives me a gentle smile.

“Are you alright, Yoshiko-chan?” She finally breaks the silence and I feel those butterflies starting up their riot again.

“I… I’m fine.”

Chika suddenly jerks her head up to the sky and I follow her eyes. “Look, Yoshiko-chan! Alphas!” Sure enough, several oddly shaped planes fly across the sky, leaving their trails for miles.

Alphas… I slowly turn to regard Chika again. The fading light of the sun illuminates her hair, lighting it ablaze as the wind blows it out just enough that she has to occasionally push strands behind her ear. When she turns to me, her eyes shine brighter than those polished diamonds jewelers try to shove on you. My heart skips several beats and I have to remind myself to breathe.

I love Chika. But it’s because I love her… I can’t confess to her.

“You know…” I look out towards the Alphas which have long since vanished in the distance. Deep breath. Deep breath, Yoshiko. I meet Chika’s eyes again and I feel the telltale stinging of tears trying to dredge their way up. “I’ll be piloting one of those.”

-

-

****

##  April, 2020

****

Well, things could have gone worse to say the least. It’s not like my leaving Aqours will make the group break up; I’d feel terrible if that were the case. But it was a bit of a mess, telling everybody. In some way, it makes me happy to know they all care about me so much, but at the same time… I remember the strange look on Chika’s face when I told her. No tears, no pain, just… something I can’t describe. I’m still not sure, honestly.

I take my first step aboard the Alperion Nexus, the flagship of the fleet taking on this mission. I pause before heading in though, looking back into the crowd sending us off. Chika isn’t there. None of Aqours is, I asked them not to come. But I’ll be damned if I say I don’t want to see their faces right now. I blow out a low sigh and walk in.

-

-

When I was first picked for this mission, I was under the impression I would have absolutely no contact with anybody on Earth, but that isn’t the case. We’re able to send messages to Earth, but we were warned that the farther from the planet we go, the longer it will take for the messages to reach. It’s better than nothing.

**It’s been a while already. Feels like it’s been too long since we spoke. Or that I spoke with any Aqours member. Sorry about that. They didn’t really have a way for us to send messages until now. I’ve been in training around Mars since we last spoke. It’s pretty ruthless, but I’m getting through it. It’s almost as if they think mere drones were enough to take down the great Yohane. Laughable, right? Piloting this craft is nothing for a fallen angel. I even got to see Olympus Mons while I’m here. Ah, that’s a giant volcano. I won’t bore you with the details.**

****

****

**We even visited ruins left behind by an ancient civilization. Apparently, they knew about them for a long time but it’s only just becoming public information. They think the Atrusians were settled here long before us. We’re using technology that they left behind to track them back to their planet. Or so that’s what I’ve been hearing. It’s not like they’re about to tell us anything.**

**Anyways, after our training at Mars, we moved on to Jupiter. Or, well, the space station around Europa. Crazy stuff, straight out of a science fiction novel! I guess that’s weird to say when I’m heading off to fight aliens, huh? But Europa’s where I am while I’m sending this. It’s not exactly the most peaceful place. There’s the constant lightning between Europa and Jupiter. The strongest thunderstorm or something.**

I pause, reading over the message again. It really has nothing substantial. Even though there’s so much that I want to say, I typed out such a bland message, nothing more than an obligatory update. My eyes burned holes through the phone until my fingers began moving on their own.

**Chika just in case, really just in case something happens, I want to**

“………..”

I shake my head and erase that line.

-

-

##  ** July, 2020 **

“Good work everybody!” Dia calls out. “Remember, even though summer is approaching, we’ll still have practice so don’t slack off.”

She gets a few ‘yeahs’ in return, from one yours truly. After her warning, the third years exit the rooftop. Everybody seems fine and I’m glad. It was a little tough at first, losing a member of the group but it wasn’t enough to break us apart. Yoshiko wouldn’t want that. And neither would any of us. We’ll wait as long as we have to until she comes back.

As I’m trying to pump myself up for… nothing, I guess, I hear my phone beeping and pick it up. A new message. My throat tightens when I read the sender’s name.

**Tsushima Yoshiko**

“Yoshiko-chan…”

Yoshiko is an odd girl. I thought that since the moment I met her. But when I was trying to form Aqours, I saw something in her, something that shined brightly. She was the polar opposite of me, a bright girl despite her tendencies to lean towards the ‘fallen angel’ schtick. But then again, maybe we were similar in some ways. I can look back and see how I thought, maybe still how I think. I’m normal. Never have I had anything special about me. And Yoshiko felt the same.

But she wasn’t. She was anything but normal, anything but unremarkable. From the moment I practiced with her, I knew it. She was somebody I couldn’t take my eyes off of. Every movement, every laugh, burned into my eyes and ears. The more time we spent as Aqours, the more I learned about her, the more I accepted everything that was Tsushima Yoshiko.

But… Yoshiko getting swept up into some weird program by the United Nations? And getting sent off to fight aliens? It’s crazy… It’s…

**It looks like we’ll be clearing Pluto soon. Then we’ll really be out there. Amazing to think about, huh? I’ll be one of the first humans to ever go this far. But that also means my messages are going to take longer. It’ll take about six months from the Oort cloud. Just like the old days when people had to run letters across the country. Mm. No problem, right?**

I bite my lip. “No problem…? Yoshiko-chan…”

-

“So… what’s up?”

I try my best to keep a smile on but given where the topic of conversation will inevitably end up, it’s hard. When Hanamaru and Ruby invited me out, I was hesitant to accept because of that. Once look at Hanamaru confirms my fears. She has a slightly worried look, one that says she isn’t afraid to dig into it.

“How are you doing zura? We’ve just been… worried.”

I blow out some air, considering just saying I’m fine but I know that won’t work. “It’s… harder than I thought,” I admit, letting my head rest on my hands. “It’s not like we’ve been separated since I…” A look towards them shows nothing but support. “Since I fell in love with her. And now… she’s suddenly so far, in a place impossible for me to reach. And more than that, I’m just… worried. About her.”

“Worried?” Obviously, there was reason to be worried, but the ever-perceptive Hanamaru seemed to stare straight through me.

“… Mm. Worried about how she’s doing without us. Worried that she feels sad and alone. Worried that…” I bite my lip. An irrational fear lies in the back of my head. To her, little time will pass while she travels through space, but to me… “Worried that she’ll forget me. Worried that I lost my only chance. Worried that…!” My feelings pour out quickly and I slam my hand on the table without thinking about it, making Ruby jump. “Worried… that I’ll never see her again.” My voice comes out much meeker than I thought it would. When I look up, Hanamaru wears a sympathetic smile.

“It’s fine to say it, Chika-chan. We’re just as worried zura. Yoshiko’s our friend too, after all. So we…” A single tear streaks down her cheek. “W-We… r-really want to… see her again.”

Ruby embraces her and I get up to move by her side as well. Even if I can’t deal with my own feelings, this is the least I can do.

-

-

It’s hard to say when I fell in love with Chika. At first, I thought I was just grateful that she got me to join Aqours, a place where I could be with friends. And maybe that was how it started. But at some point, I found myself watching her. During practice, my eyes would never leave her. I would rewatch our lives just to see Chika’s dancing. And before I knew it, she was always occupying my thoughts.

Chika crashed into my life so hard, the very course of it was altered. It seemed like a life full of disappointment, bad luck, and depression had suddenly flipped. Suddenly I had friends, people to laugh with, people to cry with, people to share my secrets with. And suddenly I became a person to lean on, a person to share secrets with, a person who could smile and cheer on her friends. And I have Chika to thank for that.

That’s why I truly believe that my love started as nothing more than admiration, as gratitude. But over time, it sprouted into something completely different. The desire to always be around Chika, the desire to be part of that shine that I saw in her. She’s like a star that outshines our very own sun yet seems so far away that I can’t reach her. Even so, I wanted to try. Even if I got burnt, even if I found that I could not take that final step, I wanted to be closer to her.

The way my heart pounded when she smiled, the way my face heated up at close exchanges.

Chika, I…

-

The first semester passed by in flash. With nothing but Yoshiko’s messages to go by, I could only assume she was doing well. I sure hope so.

But there was never a way for me to confirm. Their technology allowed them to send messages, but I had quickly found that it was impossible for me to reply. So, I’m always waiting, hoping to hear good news, hoping to hear… just maybe, she’ll be on her way back.

Before idol practice, I sit back for a bit while everybody is stretching. Hanamaru told me that I haven’t been subtle about constantly checking my phone lately, but I can’t help it. There’s always some weird feeling nagging at the back of my mind, making sure I don’t forget it. I pull out my phone and take a deep breath before tapping the message app.

**No new messages**

I know. I know I’m being stupid. The farther Yoshiko gets, the longer it will take for her messages to reach me. I know but… I grip my phone tighter, hoping against all odds that a message will come. Something stings at the sides of my eyes and I furiously wipe at my eyes, but I don’t feel any wetness.

“Chika.” My head snaps up to meet Kanan’s eyes. I quickly glance towards the group but Dia seems to have started practice without us.

“Ah… S-Sorry, Kanan-chan, I was just distracted on my phone aga―”

It takes me a second to realize what happened. One moment I was looking right at her and the next I was pulled into her chest. A hand moves slowly through my hair and I try to ask her what’s wrong but choke on the words.

“It’s alright, Chika. It’s just me right now. You don’t have to hold it in.”

Under Kanan’s honest, comforting embrace, I feel the tears finally start flowing. I grab her tightly, as if my life depends on it and cry out into her chest. It’s stupid. It’s stupid to cry now. I know it’s not my fault or anything. Nothing I could have said would have made Yoshiko stay. But, even so, I… I wanted…

“I-I’m… such an idiot...!”

-

-

##  ** August, 2020 **

**Hey, Chika. Sorry, it’s been a while. There hasn’t been much going on here. We finally arrived at Pluto, so we’re almost out there. Even though this mission was supposed to be to find the Atrusians, we’ve yet to find a single trace of them. Kind of unsettling, huh? Don’t the protagonists in novels usually randomly stumble on some ancient ruin or something that gives them the answers?**

I stare blankly at my phone for a few minutes, debating even sending an update. These texts aren’t like me. They’re bland, to the point, almost business-like. Why am I even bothering? Is Chika even reading them? Is she too busy with Aqours and school to think about me? I shake the thoughts from my head. Worrying isn’t going to get me anywhere.

**You know, I’m sure you expect me to be excited but… I’ve been thinking. It would be better if we just found nothing and returned to Earth―**

_WARNING. WARNING._

__

__

_ATRUSIANS CONFIRMED AT DISTANCE OF 20000._

_ALL PILOTS PREPARE FOR LAUNCH._

_THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL._

“Atrusians? We’re fighting now?” A stupid question, I think to myself as the cockpit shuts, locking me inside. I pull the seatbelts on and flip the switch and the ship starts its automatic process of bringing me to a launching station. I take a deep breath. Well, no choice. You came here, Yoshiko. And now you have to fight. I slam the throttle forward, accelerating my ship through the long tunnel until I’m shot into the void of space. Dozens of other pilots exit from various ships in the fleet, all of us headed towards the same destination. They finally come into sight.

The best way I can describe them are jellyfish-like. They’re almost transparent with long appendages and they almost look like they’re swimming through space. My stomach wrenches at the sight but I swallow my fear down and launch out with the rest of my comrades. I know my way around the ship enough to avoid the things for the most part, but they still get fairly close as I bob and weave through the swarm of them, blasting any in front of me to bits.

“Damn jellyfish…!” I flip ship on its side as I slide between two of the things, flipping the switch that sends a small EMP wave out. Why it works, hell if I know, but it makes the things freak out and they back away from my ship. I pull what would be a drift if there was friction or air resistance in space and blast the two I just passed by. “Ha…”

But of course, I don’t get a moment to relax. The alarm in my ship immediately starts blaring and a hologram image of Pluto along with our fleet comes up.

_Attention. Unprecedented numbers of Atrusians have been detected at a distance of 50000. All alphas return to your appropriate ship immediately. The fleet will evacuate by making a one light year warp. I repeat, all alphas return to your appropriate ship immediately._

“One light year…?” That means it’ll take longer than a year for my messages to reach her. I scramble around looking for my cellphone only to see it floating to my left. Now our ships aren’t giant but they’re big enough that I can’t necessarily reach the edges by stretching. But just as I attempt to, one of those damn jellyfish almost slams into my ship. If I hadn’t noticed, I’d be dead now. But I manage to pull up at the last second to avoid it.

_Alpha 9, please return to your ship immediately._

“Easier said than done!” I curse under my breath as another of things launches itself at me. This time, I pull up but such that my guns are facing right at it and blast it away. I flip off the restriction switch and slam the throttle forward, launching myself towards the main ship. I see several of the things giving chase, but I slide into the hatch before they can reach me, the hatch closing shut behind me. I breathe out a small sigh of relief.

And before I can think about my phone, I feel the light warp kicking in. And we’re gone.

-

-

##  ** January, 2021 **

I pray before turning on my phone to check. I’ve never been religious, but if all I have to do is offer a prayer to Buddha to see a message from Yoshiko, I don’t see the downside.

**Checking for messages…**

****

****

**No new messages**

My heart sinks. I turn and kick my door but all it does it make me even angrier. I walk over to my window and look out at the night sky, the countless number of stars shining brightly above.

“Yoshiko-chan… where are you?”

-

-

The light warp is complete. We’re safe for now. But… I gently grab my phone and turn it back on to see my unsent message still waiting. I click the send button, but a box pops up.

**Send method: Extreme long distance  
Distance to recipient: 13477536000000km  
Estimated time until delivery: 1 year, 10 days, 3 hours**

I stare at the text on the screen with a strange numb sensation filling my entire body. I type out a few more lines before an announcement sounds over the entire ship.

_Attention. In 24 hours, this fleet will make a long-distance warp to the Syrius Alpha-Beta System. This warp will cover a distance of 8.6 light years. We advise that all pilots take this time to send a message to their family before the warp._  
  
My mind barely registers the voice. It’ll be one year before Chika gets this message… I take a shuddering breath and hit the send button. 

**Time left until delivery: 1 year, 10 days, 3 hours**

“Over eight years, huh? Will… Will Chika forget about me by then?”

Tears sting at the edge of my eyes but I hold them back. If Chika knew I just want to cry, what would she think? Knowing her she would probably tell me to just do it. That sounds a lot like her. Chika… I tighten my grip on my phone.  
  
“Chika… please… don’t forget me…”

-

-

##  ** August, 2021 **

The days drifted by like nothing. The third years have graduated and moved on. Aqours still exists, but it’s only the five of us now. We still practice even without Dia. Everything is going smoothly at the moment anyways. But, well… I still have these days, days where I can’t help but look at my cellphone. Riko and You try to take my mind off it, but it’s hard.

Even today. It’s raining hard outside, so we decided to cancel practice, but I told them I wanted to stay behind. Sometimes, I just feel like being alone now. It’s strange. Before, having company at any time just felt… natural, right. But lately I just… want to be alone sometimes.

I rest my head on the desk, staring out the window. My days pass by so slowly it seems lately…

_Beep. Beep._

I’m almost dozing off when my phone beeps. I scramble to sit straight, snatching my phone up and fumbling over the buttons while trying to open it.

**1 new message**

I suck in my breath. My eyes slowly drift down to the name.

“Yoshiko-chan…” I click on the message. “It’s been an entire year…”

**I’m sorry that this message took so long, Chika. How to explain… We just took a one year light warp. I meant to send this before but there were some issues. I hope everything is going well over there. You’re a third year now, right? Or pretty far into your third year. Honestly I’m losing track of time here. It’s like every day is the same thing.**

****

****

**Anyways, there’s something I need to tell you first. Tomorrow we’ll be making an 8.6 light year warp. When you get this, I’ll already be much farther away. My messages will take around 8 years and 7 months to get to you.**

****

****

**I’m sorry.**

**Ah, around now should be your birthday. Better late than never, right? I’m sure you were looking forward to a great birthday wish from Yohane! Ha. Seems weird now, huh? Well,**

**Happy birthday, Chika.**

A few tears run down my cheek, echoing in the silence as they hit the desk. “Yoshiko-chan, you idiot…”

I furiously shake my head. It isn’t like her. These stupid messages. I look back at the messages we used to exchange every day. They were all so fun, so full of life, so full of… Yoshiko. These rigid cold messages just don’t feel like her at all. It stings my heart. What is she going through over there? What is she really feeling? Can I ever get that out of her? Can I ever hope to comfort her when she doesn’t even know if my messages can reach her?

-

That day I made a promise to myself. To steel my heart. There was some sense of finality to Yoshiko’s message. It made me wonder if I would ever receive one again. Eight years is a long time, and it’ll only get longer. I won’t forget about Yoshiko, I know that I never can. But…

I knew I had to move on.

-

It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? We didn’t even know each other for that long and yet… I fell so deeply in love. At some point, I just kind of knew it. When we practiced, I would find myself looking at her, watching her every move and just… feeling happy. When she would go on her fallen angel rants, I would always smile. When she started messaging me, I was ecstatic because it was a step I was too afraid to take. When I confided in Kanan, she told me to just go for it and yet… I never did. I let her leave without ever telling her my feelings. And now I may well never get that chance.

I finally push myself up from the desk. Whether I can see Yoshiko’s true feelings or not, maybe receiving any word from her is enough. All I want is a sense of closure, something that tells me whether I’ll see her again or… the more likely case, whether I’ll never see her again.

A sense of closure… I bring up my message app again.

**Yoshiko-chan, I know that you’re so far away, and maybe this isn’t fair. Maybe I’m being very selfish but, just once, I… would like to be selfish.**

****

****

**Since you’ve joined Aqours, I’ve loved you. Not like a friend. Not like family. I love you, Yoshiko-chan. No matter what happens, no matter how much time passes, no matter how far, no matter where I go in life, I’ll never forget you and these feelings.**  
  
**So, for these feelings, thank you.**

I snort as I finish typing out the message. Even though I’m confessing to her, it gives me that same cold, passive feeling that I got when I read Yoshiko’s messages. Straight and to the point. But, you know, maybe that is like me. The current me. The me that felt like she had her only love torn away from her, through space and time. i let out a long sigh, and with it, all these lingering feelings.

Well, this message will never reach Yoshiko-chan. But maybe it’ll be enough for me.

I click send. The message app freezes and then crashes, just like every time I try to send one. A small sigh escapes my mouth and I pocket my phone. When I turn to the door though, somebody’s standing in it. A smile creeps onto my lips and I do my best to raise my voice.

“What are you doing, Dia-san? Shouldn't you be in Tokyo?”

Dia takes a step in the classroom and shakes her head. “I… I just came back for a bit.” She pauses and clears her throat. “I simply thought I should check on you. I… know you’re going through a rough time, Chika-san, so… Well, I just…” Dia scratches at her face with a finger, looking away.

Ah, look at me. Even making Dia interrupt her life for me. I run up to her, putting on as big a smile as I can. ‘Thank you, for worrying about me, Dia-san.” I grab her hand. “Come on! Let’s go!”

“E-Eh? C-Chika-san? Where!?”

“Anywhere! Ahaha!”

Yoshiko-chan… Really, really… Thank you.

-

**Message sending.  
Approximate time until delivery: ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒**

-  
The first week after the warp is spent preparing for landing. We’re fairly close to Agartha, a relatively earth-like planet that they want us to check for signs of the Atrusians. Unfortunately, because of that prep, it gives me way too much time to think. I’m over eight years away from Chika now. Is there even any point in sending messages now? Will she still think about me in eight years? Hell, will she even remember that I exist? And we’re only going to get farther away. Will there come a time when we’re so far that I can’t even send messages.

I stare at my phone as if expecting a message from her, but of course there’s nothing. Today is the day we’re supposed to be landing. Well, I’ll be going down there with other pilots anyways. Risking our lives for… what? I blow out a long sigh and just hope that it’ll be over with quickly. I’ve long since lost the motivation to care about this mission.

As if in response to my thoughts, an alarm starts blaring throughout the ship.

_WARNING. WARNING._

__

__

_MASSES OF ATRUSIANS DETECTED AT CLOSE DISTANCE._

_ALL PILOTS ARE TO PREPARE FOR IMMEDIATE COMBAT._

Only a little panic fills me as I hop into my ship. We’ll probably just be fleeing like last time after taking out as many as we can. We’re just not powerful enough which is why this mission was a stupid idea in the first place. I learned that after our last warp. But here I am, being shot out to fight.

As soon as I exit the Alperion Nexus, I see the swarms of the creatures. We all fly in, recklessly, prepared for the worst. Our guns easily blast them apart but there are so many of them. Why didn’t they just decide to warp again? Would it be too dangerous? As I’m dodging and weaving my way through the creatures, blasting every one that crosses my sights, I hear a loud explosion, much too loud. I turn my ship around and my heart sinks.

Thousands of the creatures are latched onto one of the main ships. An entire engine has been blown off somehow. And then I see how. Hundreds of the Atrusians dart down at an incredibly fast speed, literally shooting themselves _through_ the ship. And entire ship taken out just like that… What about the Nexus? I look at it and it seems like other pilots had the same idea. They’re swarming towards it to protect it. I slam on the throttle, but I’m staying in place.

“What…!?” I turn to my head to peek at my engine and see the tentacles of one of the things wrapped around it. Were they that strong? It’s holding me in place by itself? I try slamming on the throttle again, but my ship shakes as two more latch on. “Dammit…! Let go!” I flip off the restrictor and blast the engines as hard as I can, but I hear the horrid sound of metal scraping on metal as part of my engine is torn out to float in space. A slamming above me makes me look up and I see a fourth Atrusian is latched onto the cockpit, trying to break the glass. I try one more time, but the engine makes no sound this time.

The feeling of defeat is… not unusual. Strangely, I almost feel relieved. Maybe it’s the thought of traveling through space for who knows how long, knowing that Chika will grow old long before I return, knowing that all of my friends would probably be dead before I even got back to earth… but…

I hear the glass above me crack. Soon they’ll break through and I’ll die to the void of space… or one of the things eating me. Neither sounds great. But they thought of that when making these ships. I look down at the solitary red button, away from the rest of the control panel, behind two layers of thick glass. ‘So you don’t suffer,’ so we were told. A grim thing to tell a bunch of kids, huh? But now that I’m presented with it as my only option, I have to admit, part of me is thankful.

With no hesitation, I flip the first switch, which pops the first layer of glass open. Then the second switch, freeing the button. I hear another crack above me. I’m running out of time. A lump forms in my throat and I feel a cold sweat dripping down my back. Am I scared? Now? After all of this, now that I’m faced with dying to these things, I’m hesitating? What happened to the fallen angel Yohane that could charge into anything? Ha… I guess she’s long gone…

_Beep. Beep._

I blink, thinking the sound is some error on the ship. But no. I slowly pull out my cellphone, expecting for sure that’s it’s just some delusion brought on by this situation. But no.

**1 new message**

**Takami Chika**

I suck in my breath. Chika? A message from her? Even though we’re so far away? It’s like everything fades and it’s just me and that message. I feel like I’m watching myself in a movie as I tap on the message. Most of message is made of incoherent characters. Only a small part of the last line can be read. Two words.

**▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ thank you.**

I stare at the message, dumbfounded for a second. “Pfft. Ahaha!” My first reaction is to laugh. I laugh so hard my stomach hurts, so hard that tears pour down my cheeks. After believing I would never hear from her again, just seeing these two words... I shake my head in disbelief.

“After all this time… You’re still making miracles happen. You… really are amazing, Chika.”

Another crack from above brings me back to reality. I wipe away my tears and quickly slam the buttons on my phone. If Chika’s message got to me then… then just one more! Simple, Yoshiko. For once in your life, just tell her how you feel!

**I’ve always loved you, Chika. From our time in Aqours and forever more, I will always love you. We’ll meet again. No matter how far we have to go, no matter how many lives, I’ll fall in love with you again.**

I hit send before I can second guess myself.

“Please… Reach her."

**Message sending  
Approximate time until delivery: 8 years, 7 months, 3 days**

Whether it was cheesy as hell or not, I poured my feelings out as quickly as I could. Those are my true feelings and I don’t want them to change. I smile for the first time in who knows how long. It definitely feels like it’s been forever.

More cracks.

I laugh and sit up, gripping my cellphone tightly to my chest.

“Well then, I guess I need to finish up here so I can see Chika as quickly as possible. It looks like I’m leaving first, Chika. Yohane will always find her way to you, no matter how many worlds I have to cross. So, don’t rush. Live, smile, even if it’s without me, alright? You gave me the ability to smile again so… this is the least I can do.” I laugh one more time before raising my hand. “Thank you, Chika.”

I slam my hand down.

-

-

##  ** March, 2029 **

“Wait, Dia-chan! I forgot my wallet! Wait out here, I’ll grab it real quick!”

I charge back into my apartment, almost tripping on some folders from work that I still haven’t sorted out. My boss is gonna be pissed again. I don’t think telling him that I skipped some work for a date will get me out of it. I run over to grab my wallet, but accidentally kick the small nightstand next to my bed, somehow breaking the bottom of the cheap thing, the drawer and contents falling to the ground.

“Oh, come on! Not right now!”

I try to gather the things just to dump them all on my bed before leaving. But something catches my eye. A green light blinking. My old phone? This thing still had charge? I used to keep it charged religiously, for years, but I can’t remember the last time I did. I click the screen on.

**1 new message  
Tsushima Yoshiko**

“… Eh?” I let my eyes drift over the preview. Only ten minutes ago, so when I was preparing. I hesitate for a second before unlocking the phone. A message from Yoshiko? After all this time? It’s been over eight years since her last message. Not to mention…  
  
A few months ago was when earth received the news of the failed mission. A single ship had tried to make its way back but even it never reached. Everybody… everybody on that mission died. Yoshiko’s name was included in the list of deaths. Maybe that’s why this feels so surreal. She sent this message eight years ago…

I take a deep breath and open it.

It looks like most of the data got corrupted on the way. Almost the entire message had been turned into static looking error symbols. But there is something that made it through. Just a few words.

**▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ We’ll meet again. ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒**

“Yoshiko-chan…”

Despite myself, I feel a smile creeping up. So, even after all that time, Yoshiko was still thinking about me. Just like I was. I may have moved on, but I never forgot about her. And now, seeing this message, I know I made the right decision. It has some kind of finality to it, even without the rest of the message. It’s like she knew… I shake my head. That’s pointless to think about now. What matters is that the message reached me, that Yoshiko’s feelings still found their way here after all this time. It feels like something in my heart finally settles, a nagging feeling that kept me up so many nights. One door finally closed...

“Chika! What’s taking so long?”

I giggle at Dia’s impatience and close the phone, placing it gently on my bed.

“Mm. Until we meet again, Yoshiko-chan.”

Dia opens the door and peers in. “Chika?” I jump towards her, laughing my heart out, laughing all those feelings that built up over years out as I drag her away. “W-What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing~! Come on, let’s have fun!”

From the bottom of my heart… Thank you, Yoshiko-chan.


End file.
